Connections

The blogging world has opened up many windows of opportunity for me, and not only for my jewelry. I have found a world of connections with fellow artists and bloggers—all whom share parts of their lives quite generously. In the past few weeks, the depth of those connections have revealed themselves in interesting ways.

I have been reading voraciously lately, steadily working through the stack of books on my nightstand. A few weeks ago, I was reading Day After Night, by Anita Diamant. As I read the line, "Now get me a syringe, won't you dear? she said, taking a small orange out of her string bag," I immediately felt a sense of deep-rooted history and cross-cultural kinship. What a beautiful coincidence that I have been participating in string-a-long 2010, making string bags along with women from all over. My reading of that book also corresponded with Susie's trip to Israel, which she blogged about while there. Her photos and stories from her visit are amazing, and helped me to create vivid pictures in my mind as I read the story of the detainee camp, Atlit.

Last night, while reading Beloved, by Toni Morrison, I stopped short when I read this line, "It's when you bump into a rememory that belongs to somebody else." Rememory! Comes delightfully close to my daughter's word remembery (of Remembery Capsule fame). I love knowing that people have melded words together to make a perfect definition for generations.

So much is intertwined. Time and distance dissolve. The lines between my life, family, and friends is blurred by connections with folks from other areas and even countries via the world wide web. Suddenly it is clear— the planet is quite small and time has not changed the fundamentals of humanity much at all.

Brainstorming and Bookmarks

I've been brainstorming ideas for my business lately—how I can generate more sales, how I can improve my brand, and how I can market my pieces better. I decided I was going to offer some more functional pieces in addition to my jewelry—to expand my lines in the hope of expanding, well, sales! But what to do? There are always money clips and barrettes/hairpins, which I would like to make but I'm not sure, since there seem to be so many on the market. Then I remembered I had seen metal bookmarks once. I remember loving them and thinking I would absolutely use one if I had one. So I set off to make some bookmarks of my very own design. This is what I came up with:

Made from fat silver wire, it was hammered flat so it fits snugly into a book without hurting the binding. In typical AG Ambroult fashion, they were hammered and otherwise abused, then oxidized for a rustic feel.

The hook fits over the binding, keeping your place secure. Slip it in your book and pick right up where you left off.

There are many readers in my life, so it's good to know I have the gift of a bookmark ready and waiting for when an occasion arises.

The heart bookmark is currently listed in my shop.

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

It's a great time of year. Spring is upon us and the seed catalogs are showing up in the mailbox. It's a time of anticipation and hope for gardeners, and the time of year I turn to my favorite books for renewed inspiration, insight, and advice. So now seems like the right time to share my favorite reads on sowing, growing and attempting to live more sustainably.

I have so many "favorite" books on this topic, but one, in particular, stands out:

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver
This is what the book's official website says about it :
"Part memoir, part journalistic investigation, this book tells the story of how our family was changed by one year of deliberately eating food produced in the place where we live."
...and I'd like to add that it is packed full of fascinating tidbits about gardening, delightful reflections on family, and insightful observations on politics.

If you like that book, you'll like these ones as well:
This Organic Life by Joan Gussow
The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan